


How many times will you call my name?

by Grollow



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hollow did nothing wrong, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Suicidal Ideation, but it's mild pining so i don't think there's enough to actually tag it, mild pining, phantom pains, please read the tags, so you've been warned, there is slight Grimm/Hollow in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24251149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grollow/pseuds/Grollow
Summary: The one in which Hollow learns that everything is going to be alright.
Relationships: Broken Vessel | Lost Kin & The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel, Broken Vessel | Lost Kin & The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet & The Knight, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & The Knight
Comments: 12
Kudos: 154





	How many times will you call my name?

**Author's Note:**

> Did y'all ask for another Hollow Knight fic all about THK hurt and comfort with a side of fluff? No? Well, you got it anyway!
> 
> Omg... This took a while. I worked really hard on it lol.
> 
> I just want Hollow to be happy! :(
> 
> There are some headcanons that I like in the notes at the bottom that I've sort of incorporated into the story, so read those if you'd like. :3
> 
> This took me three days (almost straight) to write. My pinky hurts from typing so much :(

Hollow had been waiting for a while.

It seems as though that's all their life comes down to. Waiting for something, or someone, even though they don't know what it is or who they are or why they have to wait in the first place.

But they don't question it, and they don't resist it. Ever the obedient, and loyal, and perfect vessel they are, they've quickly learned to keep their head down low and to accept whatever happens to come their way. It's not like they could change anything even if they wanted to, anyway. They were a demigod at best, they just didn't have the power.

Throughout their entire childhood they had waited for the day they would trap the Radiance in their mind forever. They had almost succeeded in doing so, but they underestimated the pain of keeping a powerful, scornful, and sad God inside of their head, and eventually it had become too much for them to handle both mentally and physically. They found themselves waiting for someone to free them from their agony.

They had lost count of the amount of times they wished for their Father to be the one to come to their rescue, and if they hadn't have been in as much suffering as they had, they might have even felt a sense of shame back then for not being strong enough or hollow enough to handle the thing they had trained their whole life to defeat. Their only reason for existing. They couldn't be more grateful for their sibling to have gone through all the trouble they had to free them.

They shouldn't dwell too much on the past, however. They know deep down that the plan was never going to work. They were not, and never going to be, perfectly pure and empty inside. They just happened to be really good at pretending otherwise.

But now? Now that they are free and both the Radiance and the infection are gone, what are they waiting for?

Well, they are patiently waiting for Hornet and Ghost to come home.

Ghost had excitedly told them about various other siblings scattered throughout Hallownest who all managed to somehow escape the Abyss and had survived after the Void became unified, even though most of them should have been dead.

They wanted to try and find some of them to bring back to their makeshift, yet relatively peaceful, home up in Dirtmouth. Hornet had been indifferent to the idea, and luckily not at all opposing. Hollow had felt something akin to being elated, or perhaps excited, at the thought of reuniting with other siblings. Unfortunately, because they are not used to such emotions, the feeling had left them almost as fast as it had come.

Still, they had nodded their consent, and hoped that Ghost would come back quickly.

They had patted Hollow's head, clearly wishing to them that they could come with - they've both been separated from each other for far too long already - but Hollow's wounds haven't healed enough yet for them to travel long distances, or to ride the Stag and Tram safely.

Ghost had assured them over and over that they were going to come back as soon as possible, and that there was nothing to be worried about, and that they weren't going to take long. Hollow had readily believed them, because why wouldn't they - Ghost had been nothing but completely honest with them since the day they freed them from the Temple.

But Ghost, forever sticking true to their considerate personality, had left their tiny Grimmchild friend in Hollow's care as company right before they left. The small baby bat didn't seem to mind the temporary switch in charm ownership as they had almost immediately curled up on Hollow's lap to take a nap, thus effectively trapping them in the same spot for the next few hours. Hollow didn't care. They used to be chained up in the same position for centuries, a few measly hours of not being able to move is nothing to them. Besides, Grimmchild was too cute to disturb. Hollow figures that it must be very tiring being a baby.

Hornet decided to go hunting.

It wasn't just to feed her and her two siblings, it was to also repay the Dirtmouth residents for all the hospitality and help that they had shown the family for the past few months.

Because there were almost no residents in the town when Ghost first arrived, Elderbug only had enough food stocked up for himself to last for a handful of weeks, but he did give a generous amount to Bretta when she finally came home, empty-handed.

Sly knows how to hunt for himself, and if for some reason Cornifer wasn't able to bring back much during his time down the well, Iselda is more than prepared to gather the food for the couple herself, should she have to. The three of them have the habit of gathering enough food as a necessity, and weren't known for gathering excess.

But due to all the excitement of moving the siblings into the biggest house they could find, plus everyone pitching in to help make sure that both Hollow and Ghost survived and recovered well from the massive amount of injuries they've sustained from their fight, no one really had the chance to take the time to go hunt.

Elderbug, Iselda, and Cornifer were way too caring for their own good, and had donated some of their food rations for the family, despite not having much left to begin with. A week later Hornet had decided that it was time to repay the favor by hunting and gathering not only for the three of them, but also the entirety of Dirtmouth as well.

She had informed Hollow that she shouldn't be gone for more than four hours, depending on how many bugs are still roaming around the Forgotten Crossroads and in Greenpath, but she had been even more hesitant to leave Hollow by themself than Ghost had been.

That's not surprising - Hornet had spent years mourning the loss of her beloved sibling and Mother, and by some unknown miracle the sibling in question had returned to her. Missing an arm, and having a fractured mask, but to her they were still just as wonderful as she had remembered.

Hornet is a smart woman. She'll have to be damned to the ends and back if she lets a second chance like this pass her by.

But even then, she can't stay by their side constantly.

"I'll be back soon," she whispered to them, the last thing she said before she left. She was careful to not disturb the sleeping child.

She reaches up with one hand and touches their head, turning it so she could check both of their horns for... something. A smudge, maybe. Hollow learned quickly that it's one of Hornet's more common signs of affection. They rub their head against her hand to let her know that they understood, and with one last pat she was gone, leaving them to wait.

Admittedly, Hollow is not very good at keeping track of time. They think that they might have been, a long time ago, back when they had learned to read, and to write, and to fight. But that time was so far behind them now, and even though they still know how to read and write, and fight to an extent, they find it difficult to accurately judge what time it is without a clock.

They suppose it doesn't matter. Time just keeps going on and on and on. There's no possible way of stopping it, so they can't be bothered to care too much about it.

With that in mind, they very carefully lean backwards until their back fully lays on the ground, wincing when they feel Grimmchild start to stir, but fortunately they don't wake up.

Hollow closes their eyes, and drifts off to sleep, waiting.

###### 

They don't dream.

When they were very young, the Pale King had placed a Seal of Binding onto Hollow's mind to protect them from the Radiance's corruption and influence, and the Seal had stayed strong flawlessly.

Hollow never dreamed as a child. They had nightmares, however.

They used to be rare and never constant, but with the lack of dreams comes the chance for more nightmares to appear instead, and they were always terrifying and ever changing. It had gotten to a point where they'd get a nightmare almost every other night, but they still forced themself to sleep despite knowing what was waiting for them because their Father would notice their poor performance should they not have gotten enough of it. But no matter how much sleep they got the night before, they were still shaky and fearful the next day. It's hard to control emotions when you can physically feel them.

They had tried to not let anyone know how the nightmares were affecting them, especially during the morning of each day when they sat next to their Mother and Father eating breakfast. They had foolishly thought they were hiding it well enough, but it seemed futile in hindsight since both their parents are Higher Beings, and seemed to sense their ever growing tension.

"Did you have a nightmare again, Vessel?" the White Lady had asked them one morning, seemingly out of the blue. "Everybody gets them sometimes, so it is not a big concern. What is concerning, however, is your peculiar reaction to them that I am noticing."

Hollow couldn't stop themself in time from thinking " _Again?_ " at the White Lady's statement. _When did she notice a different one? Did she notice them all? Did Father?_ They recovered, and forced themself to bring their mind back to the blank slate they had to learned to take comfort in and control of.

The Pale King had interjected on their behalf, putting a hand on their shoulder. It had taken Hollow all the practiced restraint they had to not bask in the warmth of their Father's gesture.

"It is their body reacting, my dear Root. Sometimes when bugs are asleep, their bodies can react to the dreams, or in this case nightmares, that they are having, without knowing the different between it being awake or not. Pure Vessel themself is not feeling the fear that a nightmare brings, it is simply their body reacting to what it has seen. We do not experience this phenomenon ourselves because we naturally block out the presence of dreams and nightmares."

Mother had stared at the both of them for a moment, but it was not in disbelief or suspicion. It sort of looked to Hollow like it had been relief and satisfaction at Father's explanation, as though he said exactly what she wanted to hear even if it wasn't the truth. They are probably looking too into it.

If the White Lady did not believe in the story, she did not show it. "Very well," she had said. "We should look into something we could do to get their nightmares to end."

"Of course. Maybe I could speak with the Nightmare King and see if he will be willing to clear their mind."

The White Lady narrowed her eyes, and Hollow felt themself squash down a feeling of nervousness, despite not completely understanding what the two are talking about.

"I am not sure I am too comfortable with the idea of _him_ and his puppets being aware of the existence of our child, dear Wyrm."

Pale King sighs, fully aware of his wife's ire. "They are his _vessels_ , my Root. They are just as much a vessel as ours is."

She waves her hand is dismissal. "That is unrelated to the subject at hand. Could you not put another Seal of Binding on them?"

"Perhaps, but I would rather not risk it. You are as aware as I am that all magic has a limit, and there are consequences should you push past that limit. I do not want to know of the risk that two Seals would have on one mind, especially the mind of a child that is still growing."

This time the White Lady sighs, but she nods her head in agreement. "You are right, my precious. If there really is no other solution that you can think of, then I will trust your judgement and you may seek out the help of the Nightmare King."

Hollow has never seen their Father smile an actual, real smile, ever, but they've seen it be close. The Pale King walks over to his wife, and respectfully kisses her hand, holding it afterwards, then looks up tenderly at her eyes.

"All I truly want is your trust, my love."

Mother has been known to smile, however, and smile she does. "It has always been yours to have, my beloved."

The Pale King has always been true to his word, and that night as Hollow lays in their bed trying to fall asleep, they see a bright, warm flash of red right before they get the chance to dream, and instead of having a nightmare like they had fully expected, they see nothing but the comforting, empty blackness of their mind for hours and hours.

###### 

Hollow wakes up slowly, and groggily, trying to make sense of their surroundings.

"Oh, you're finally awake," they hear directly to the right of them. Hornet is sitting in chair besides them, knitting a cloak with what looked like purple thread. She glances at them before resuming her work. "Little Ghost has been waiting for you to wake up for hours now. When they went looking for our siblings, it appears that all of them had already found a home to call their own, which is more than fine. However one of them, who I'm pretty sure had been living in a Nailmaster's house in Kingdom's Edge, has decided to reunite and come live with us."

Hollow sat up and as they did they heard the faint sound of tiny, scurrying feet running down the hallway towards their room, followed by slightly heavier running feet. The door opens abruptly with Ghost hurrying in with someone else behind them.

It has to be the sibling Hornet just mentioned. They definitely look similar to themself and Ghost, but they also look pretty unique compared to the both of them. Granted, they really only had Ghost to use as a reference for the younger looking siblings, but still. This vessel had three horns on their head, one short horn on the right side, and two longer ones on the left, with the longest one being on the far left. Hollow can't tell if their horns are growing naturally like that considering how the back of their head seems to be heavily fractured, to their surprise, missing a part of itself.

Maybe vessels were just meant to be broken?

"Sibling! Hollow!" They could hear Ghost's excited chatter inside of their skull. "Sibling! Meet sibling - Ghoul!"

Hollow turned to look at them, and when they made eye contact the vessel - Broken, apparently - waved their hand.

"Uh, hello," they say politely, their voice sort of going in and out. They were not used to using voidspeak to communicate with anyone else using Ghost's Voidheart ability it seems. "I'm glad to finally meet you. I'm guessing you were kind of a big deal around here? I've seen your statue."

They were not shy, obviously. Hollow felt a bit nervous, they hope that whatever impression their sibling had of them based off of what they found out around Hallownest is a good one.

"Hello," Hollow settles on saying, not intending to ignore their inquiries, but not exactly knowing how to respond to them either. A small part of Hollow's mind finds their way of talking very familiar for some reason.

Ghost grabs Ghoul's hand and drags them over to the bed. They let go of it for a second so they could clamber onto it and into Hollow's lap, getting comfortable and waving their sibling over.

"Hugs!" Ghost shouted as loud as they could, which wasn't really loud at all and sounded exactly the same as talking considering how you can't really raise the volume of a voice inside of a head.

Ghost held out both their arms with Hollow doing the same with their one arm. An invitation. And Ghoul doesn't hesitate to accept it, crawling onto the bed and hugging both of their siblings tightly. They all held each other for a few minutes, basking in the reunion, and Hollow could feel Ghost purring so loud that they're practically vibrating with happiness, and Hollow thinks that they're feeling the same way. But they can't tell if they're actually feeling the emotion themself, or if they're subconsciously copying their siblings emotions instead. They like to think that they're getting better at recognizing the former.

"I apologize for interrupting," Hornet speaks up, setting her needle and thread down and holding up the purple cloak that she had just finished making. "Ghoul, this is your new cloak. Please put it on and let me know if you require any size adjustments to it." She hands the cloak over to them who, if Hollow had to guess based off their body language, looks pleasantly surprised.

"Oh! Thank you, Hornet," they said, grabbing the cloak and rubbing the silk between their fingers. When they get up to put their new clothes on, Hornet takes their spot by Hollow's side, leaning against them.

They slip it over their head easily, the fabric falling over their shoulders and cascading down their torso until the front stops at their midriff and the back stops a bit above their knees. It seemed to be a perfect fit, and Hollow could hear Hornet's small sigh of relief.

"I've been repairing my own clothes for a while now, but I was still worried that I might have misjudged your size," Hornet says, reaching over and holding an end of the cloak to examine something on it. "I've woven in some stories between the threads, and I don't think you can understand the Weaver language yet, but that's fine." Hornet stops talking, but Hollow knows her well enough to read between the lines. _You might not know my language, but I'll gladly teach it to you soon._

Ghoul did a small twirl in place, the cloak swirling around them. They look at Hornet and, if they could, they'd flash a big grin at her. Instead, they settle for giving her two thumbs up.

"Thank you, Sister! This feels amazing! I've needed new clothes for forever. My other cloak was so old that it almost fell right off of my body when I got up to move again." 

"I'm glad you like it. I didn't know what color you'd prefer, so I used the colored thread I had the most of at the time, so let me know if you want a different color and I'll try my best to make it."

Ghoul slightly shakes their head, glancing down at the cloak and looking back up at Hornet. "No... No, I think I like purple."

###### 

_It hurts._

Hollow is sweating, and their body is shaking. They quietly get up from their bed, trying to make as little noise as possible so they don't accidentally wake Ghost up, who is sleeping soundlessly in their shared bed curled up with the Grimmchild. This house has three rooms and Ghost had their own, but two days after moving in they had decided that they didn't like sleeping alone, and moved into Hollow's room. It was a good arrangement for everyone - Hollow doesn't like sleeping alone that much either, and Broken got to take Ghost's old room.

Hollow moves fast, quickly leaving the room and making sure to carefully close the door behind them, walking over to the couch in the living room.

Their missing arm is hurting again.

It's rare, but it does happen occasionally, and Hollow hasn't had the chance to figure out how to deal with the pain yet. All they can do is clutch at their arm and try to will the sharp, throbbing pain away.

They've grown used to the sensation to the point that they don't cry anymore, but it still hurts extremely badly.

They don't know how long they've been sitting there in the dark just focusing on breathing, but they nearly jump out of their skin when a door down the hallway opens. Hornet and Ghost are deep sleepers when they feel safe, and they've never woken up in the middle of the night in this house before, so why now?

When the person walks into the room, they freeze. It's Ghoul. Hollow almost wants to back up further into the couch, but they don't want to risk insulting them by doing that.

Ghoul tilts their head, silently questioning them, before walking forwards. They stop right in front of the couch and stand there, moving their arms as though they're trying to convey something to Hollow, only to end up huffing from impatience when it didn't work. Hollow has no idea what they're doing, and they'd be up for trying to play charades if their senses weren't overwhelmed by the pain.

Ghoul looks around the room for a moment, and when their eyes land on Hollow and Ghost's room their body jerks slightly. An idea. They turn back to Hollow and gently pries their hand from their arm, pulling it towards the door.

Hollow panics a bit, they don't want to wake their sibling up! They don't want to bother anybody. They've already accidentally woke Ghoul up, they don't want to do anything more.

Ghoul must have sensed their hesitance because they gently pat their back in an attempt at comfort, not pulling their hand anymore, but softly tugging it, still wanting them to get up towards the door. Hollow decides to trust them and gets up, knowing that it must be important for them if they're being so persistent about it.

Ghoul leads them to the door, but doesn't open it. Instead, they sit down and lean against it, patting the space next to them and motioning for Hollow to sit down too. They do.

"Can you hear me now?" They ask. Oh, right, Hollow forgot that they can't understand voidspeak without the Voidheart. Hollow nods at them and sighs, the pain still hasn't gone away yet.

"I guess we have to be close to Ghost in order to talk to each other," they muse. They look at Hollow's arm. "Does your arm hurt?"

Hollow nods again, and after they do Ghoul spreads their own arms out. "Here, lean on me."

They do as they're told, leaning their body against their incredibly smaller sibling. Broken moves them so that they're laying down in their lap instead, and turns their body to face them so that their missing arm is up. Ghoul uses one arm to hold Hollow's body in a half-cuddle, and they start rocking them while they simultaneously start rubbing their arm with their free hand, easing some of the tension in it.

Surprisingly, Hollow can feel the pain slowly start to ease away after a few minutes pass by. "What are you doing?" Hollow asks when they've started to relax a little.

Ghoul hums. "Sometimes my head hurts. It's hurts so much it feels as though it exploded into a million tiny pieces. I can't think straight. I can't breathe. It's horrible. When this happens, Papa Oro would hold me like this, and rock me back and forth for hours and hours until I manage to fall asleep."

"Does it work? Does the pain stop?" 

"Not always," Ghoul admits. "A lot of times it gets worse before it gets better. But Papa always told me that pain is temporary. You might be hurting for a long, long time but it ends eventually, just like all things do. I like to take comfort in that."

Hollow doesn't reply, but they can feel their body fully relaxes as the pain finally fades away completely.

Maybe their siblings was right - in a way. Nothing bad lasts forever. It might last for a while, and it might seem unbearable, but it doesn't last forever.

No matter how much time had passed, they kept going. They are still alive and breathing. It was remarkable, even if it didn't feel like it.

The last thing they hear before sleep takes them over is Ghoul's slightly panicked voice reminding them that they should go to a bed first because they are too heavy to lift.

They don't move. That sounds like something for awake Hollow to consider.

###### 

A circus comes to town.

Closer towards the outskirts of Dirtmouth, two large and glowing tents have been set up with two giraffe looking bugs resting in front of the bigger tent.

Hollow doesn't know exactly when the travelers came, but they had pretty much been forced to go visit the tents by a very overexcited Ghost and Grimmchild.

"You need to meet them!" Ghost insisted, pulling them by the hand as Hornet and Broken calmly follow behind. "They're fun and nice!"

Hollow supposes that they would just have to take their word for it.

They enter the tent - Hollow secretly pleased that they didn't have to bend over to enter it - and are greeted with a surprisingly warm atmosphere.

"This place is cool," Ghoul comments, looking around.

"It's very interesting," Hornet agrees.

They stop in front of an accordion player, Grimmchild squealing and flying rapidly around his head.

They stop playing their song and holds up their hand as the child perches on it.

"Mrmm... Missed you too," he says. He looks at all of them, eyes settling on Ghost. "Is this your family?"

Ghost nods happily. "Best siblings! Love!"

He nods. "Nice family." He looks at Grimmchild, and turns his head towards the deeper part of the tent. "Master is waiting for you, child."

The bat baby chirps, and flies deeper into the tent. Ghost pulls Hornet's hand, and they all continue walking.

"Who was that?" Ghoul asks.

"Brumm!" Ghost answers. "Doesn't talk much."

When they reach the middle of the tent, what looks to be the main floor area of the tent actually, the lights that lit up the place dim, spotlights moving fast across the room and settling in the middle of the room. There's a blazing burst of fire that vanishes just as quickly as it came, with someone standing in its place. It's a tall and slim looking bug with bright red eyes wearing a dark colored outfit. A long time ago Hollow wouldn't have permitted themself any thoughts about another bug's appearance, or personality. But things are different now, and Hollow can't deny that he looks pretty handsome.

"Welcome back, my friend!" he greets Ghost in a low, raspy sounding voice. It's almost comfort sounding - in a way. He bows down low in front of them all. Amusingly, Grimmchild found clinging to his back. "And I see you've brought some wonderful guests. My name is Grimm and I am the master of this troupe," he introduces, eyes roaming over and taking all of them in. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you," he says when his eyes land on Hollow's, staring for a moment before looking back down at Ghost.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Hornet says, head moving as she takes in the scenery of the tent around them. "Are you travelling performers?"

"Precisely! Keen eye, you have. We travel the world in hopes of finding kingdoms that could desperately use some entertainment in its life. To help "Lighten it up", if you will."

"And have you returned to Hallownest to entertain us?"

"Not this time, unfortunately, though I won't hesitate to put on a show for you should you ask. No, it is merely a visit this time around. I admit, I have missed my child, and wanted to cave into my parental urges of being around them again." Grimmchild, probably aware that they were being talked about, popped their head up and rests it on their Father's shoulder. They look like a spitting image of each other. Hollow wonders if people think the same thing when they see them and Ghost together. It's a nice thought. A happy feeling.

"Understandable, I suppose. Ghost what do - huh?" Hornet pauses and looks around. Hollow looks too and realizes the same thing she has. Both Ghost and Ghoul were no where to be seen. "Of course," she mutters.

"Do not worry," Grimm assures her. "It seems as though your siblings have simply become curious and wanted to explore my tent. They are still here, I promise you."

Hornet turns and stares at him. "How do you - ? Nevermind, it is useless to question a Higher Beings knowledge. I should go and find them to make sure that they're not messing with anything they shouldn't be." She steps in front of Hollow and looks at them, grabbing their hand. "Will you stay here for me while I go bring them back?"

Hollow nods.

"Thank you." She looks back at Grimm. "Please excuse me, I will return." With that she goes and walks down the next hallway in front of them, disappearing.

"It appears that the small void creature has told you all a bit about me, hm? Your Sister also seems to be very dutiful in keeping track of your siblings as well." Grimm turns to face them. "And what about you? What is your name, my dear?"

Hollow can't really answer that without voidspeak, so they choose to stare at him. They can feel their cheeks start to grow colder, however. A sign of blushing.

"Ah, yes, how rude of me," Grimm says, apologetically bowing at them. "You can not speak without the presence of the small vessel, I should have realized." He straightens up and gives them a comforting smile. "Ghost calls you "Hollow." Would it be alright for me to do the same?"

Hollow nods and Grimm beams. He holds out his hand, and when Hollow looks at it they get seized by an urge to take it. "Would you care for a dance, darling Hollow? At least until your family returns."

Hollow grabs his hand gently, and feels a very unfamiliar fluttering in their chest. It's not a bad feeling.

They know what love is.

They've seen it - In Ogrim and Isma. In Herrah and Vespa. In Cornifer and Iselda. In their Father and their Mother.

They've felt it - With their siblings and their parents and their friends and when they see a jar of honey brought back from the Hive.

They've seen and felt so much love throughout their life and they have so much love to give that it almost constantly overflows from them. It's their motivation for everything that they have ever done, or will ever do. Love means everything to them, and it was the only emotion that they couldn't figure out how to ignore, or stop. Perhaps it's not so much of an emotion that they couldn't control, but more like something that makes up who they truly are on the inside. Maybe that's not so bad. Maybe it makes it all worth it, in the end.

If this strange and new emotion that is blossoming warmly throughout their torso a new type of love, well, Hollow wouldn't mind feeling it again.

Preferably, with Grimm.

###### 

"Hornet, can we cuss again?" 

"No, your swearing rights have been revoked for disappearing like that in the tent. You made Hollow nervous."

"We just wanted to look around! And you were the one who was nervous, Hollow was busy breakdancing with the troupe master." 

"Ballroom dancing."

"Ballroom dancing." 

"Sister, we're sorry!" 

"Can we just have one swear, please?" 

"No."

"Just a 'damn'?: 

"No!"

"How about 'bastard'?" 

"NO."

"Crap!" 

"Ghost, that's not even a-"

"Maybe a little 'shit', perhaps?" 

"Ghoul, I swear to the Gods-"

"Hollow! What do you think?" Ghost interrupts, causing the two bickering siblings to turn around and look at them.

Oh no, they're under pressure. Quick, they need to say something that will bring the peace. Something fancy, and smart, and graceful, just like how they were raised to be.

They steady themself, getting ready. One, two, and -

"...Fuck." 

. . .

There's a pause.

. . .

"Yay!" 

"HOLLOW!"

"HA! Ha ha ha! Fantastic!" 

Hollow feels very light. They wish they could smile.

Today was a good day.

###### 

They see Ghost cry one night.

It's rare - it almost never happens but it does, because of course it does, why wouldn't it? They've been hurt just as much as everyone else - and Hollow sees it.

They're in the corner of the bed, as far in the corner as they could go, and Hollow could see the clear outline of their small body shake. Hollow doesn't hesitate to move over to them and gather them up in their arm, holding them closely to their chest.

They can feel Ghost clinging to them tightly, almost as though they're afraid that if they let go Hollow would disappear, their body still wracking with sobs.

"Don't go," they cry

"I'm here, I'm here, I'm here," Hollow coos.

"Don't go," they repeat, leaning as much body weight against Hollow as they physically can.

"I won't, I'm here." They try to reassure.

"Please don't go." They're begging for them to say, and Hollow doesn't know why. They don't know what to say, or to do, so they just keep holding them, rocking them back and forth like how Ghoul did for them.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" 

"Thinking too much. Memories hurt. I couldn't stop you." 

Hollow feels a white-hot intense feeling of guilt hit them in the stomach. They were remembering one of their very first memories - the one where they climb all the way to the top of the Abyss and watch helplessly as Hollow goes through the door, leaving them behind.

They doesn't like to think about that memory too much. Whenever they try they get a really ugly, sad feeling in their stomach and they have to stop before it gets to be too much for them. It seems like Ghost didn't stop thinking about it.

"I'm sorry," They apologize, wanting to cry themself. They tighten their hold on their sibling as they tremble, wishing that they could make them feel better, even though they know they can't. "I shouldn't have left. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"I know, I know," Ghost replies. They're not crying as hard anymore, but they sit back to wipe at their face with their hand. "It's not your fault. You didn't know, you got really hurt. I wish I stopped you."

They feel a bit taken back. Ghost isn't sad because they left them? They're sad because they didn't stop Hollow from going through the doors?

A long time ago, when the Pale King was teaching them how to use his magic, he made it clear that, though there were all types of magic, like offensive and defensive, his magic was what was known as "protection" magic. It included the Seals of Binding, and the circles of Focused Soul that surrounded Hollow when they used it, and the barrier that had surrounded Hallownest to prevent people from entering or leaving, and all of that was a part of his protection magic.

Right now Hollow wishes more than anything that they were able to use some of their Father's magic to protect their sibling from their most painful memories.

"It's not your fault," they repeats back at them, not quite understanding why they are feeling guilty when they weren't the one who did something wrong.

"Okay, okay," Ghost says, not arguing, their body relaxing and feeling sluggish and practically falling into a small melted puddle in Hollow's lap. They must have grown really tired from crying so much. "Goodnight, Hollow. I love you."

"I love you too," Hollow says, cradling their sibling's body until they finally fall asleep.

###### 

Hornet seeks out Hollow one day.

Ghoul and Ghost were down below the well, Ghost had found more relics that they wanted to sell, and Ghoul had said that they were going to go visit Oro, so Hornet and Hollow were home alone for the time being.

They had been in their room sitting on the floor painting with the paper and paint that Sheo had given them as a gift a few weeks ago as a gift, when Hornet walks in and sits down next to them. When they pause to glance at her, she nudges them.

"Don't stop because I'm here."

They don't. They resume their painting, moving their brush in long, colorful strokes over the paper, making sure to dip their brush in the bowl of water they had next to themself occasionally. They're not drawing anything specific, more like playing with the colors because they liked how it looked, but Hornet didn't seem to mind. She speaks up after watching them for a few minutes.

"You look like you're having a good time."

They nod.

"I'm glad," she sighs. She gently grabs Hollow's arm to get their attention. "Hollow, I'm really glad for you."

They look down at her curiously, wanting her to explain. She does.

"I was really worried for you in those first few weeks after we saved you from the Temple. You were in a lot of pain, and you barely moved. You barely did _anything,_ and I was so worried for you, constantly, and I couldn't do anything about it. I didn't know what to say to you to make you feel better, either. I could stitch up your body as much as I wanted, but I there was nothing I could do to heal your heart."

She leans against them, wrapping an arm around their waist in a side hug. "So seeing you here, right now, painting in our house... Doing something that _you_ enjoy doing for _yourself_ -"

They could hear Hornet's breath stutter, and she inhales deeply, grounding herself. "It makes me so much more happier than you know, Hollow," she admits quietly, a whisper. Hollow sets their brush down and hugs her back. All they've ever wanted was to make her, and Ghoul, and Ghost, and... Father... happy.

They're really glad that they succeeded with somebody.

###### 

It gets harder before it gets better.

Sometimes Hollow's chest gets tight, feeling heavy and empty at the same time, and the room feels so much colder than they thought possible, and they feel so, so small despite being one of the largest bugs in the entire Kingdom.

They never used to feel this way. They never felt so lost. They had never let the sand slip through the cracks.

They try to breathe, and breathe, and breathe. They wonder how long this will last. They don't want to hurt anymore, they're so tired of the hurting, but it's nothing they can't handle, and they're used to it. It's exhausting. They just want to be somebody worth loving.

They almost crave to be alone once more, truly alone like back in the Temple of the Black Egg, where they had no one else but themself and their thoughts and their overwhelming sadness to keep them company when the Radiance had gotten tired and retreated to the very far reaches of their mind and they couldn't see her anymore for days or weeks or months on end. They crave that loneliness simply because they miss the comfort and familiarity that it brought. It had been a part of them ever since they got separated from their siblings when they were a child too small to fully understand what their life was worth at that time. They think that that time was the only time they've ever really lived up to their name "Hollow".

If only they could tear into their battered and broken body and rip out their silently beating heart. If only they could break that heart in half and let the blood inside of it slowly trickle, trickle, trickle out of them until there's not a drop left and they've truly hollowed themself out into the empty soul they were always meant to be. They wouldn't feel pain. They wouldn't feel anything.

But inside of that blood there is a love so raw and beautiful that they can't fathom ever letting it go. To let that go means to let everything else go. Ghost, Hornet, Ghoul. They can't let them go. Not now, not when they're counting on them to be there. Not when Ghoul comes to them when they have a headache, or when Hornet has tried so very hard to make sure they're okay, or when Ghost just needs the comfort of their presence by their side. Not when they need Hollow just as much as Hollow needs them. 

They can't give up on themself. This pain, too, will pass eventually.

There are so many emotions out there that they haven't got to feel yet, they think. And they want to feel everything a lot more than wanting not to feel anything. They want feel happy, and excited, and glad. They want to keep feeling love, especially now that they're allowed to show it.

Besides, no amount of bleeding and crying and suffering would ever bring their Father back to them.

Then, before they know it, there are multiple pairs of arms surrounding them, holding them, whispering soft words to them, and they let out a breath that they didn't know they were holding in. Their Father is gone, forever, but their family isn't. They're still here. They always will be.

They sort of want to laugh when they think about how Ghost's tiny legs standing on their own leg is somehow the most comforting thing they've felt in quite a while.

Hollow doesn't quite know if they're really living yet like they should be, but they're close. They can tell.

They can feel it.

**Author's Note:**

> This is long and it is not beta'd so what you see is what you get. I'm sorry.
> 
> -Notes-  
> . This story starts off about 2-3 months after the Dream No More ending. This is sort of a mix between Dream No More and Embrace The Void, as Shade Lord exists, but Ghost defeated Radiance normally in the Temple of the Black Egg instead of in Godhome.
> 
> . The vessels scattered around Hallownest all survived due to their souls going back in their shells thanks to Ghost unifying the Void during the Radiance fight. The siblings in the Abyss can float up and leave but only as shades as pretty much all their shells are too damaged to return to, but they are too close to the Void itself and when a vessel is by the Void it is EXTREMELY hard to resist the urge to leave the Void behind. There is a massive part of their souls that want to go back to being one with the sea, which is what that urge is. So the floating sibling shades in the Abyss are there because they want to be. Ghost, because they have the Voidheart, is immune to the urge. Any of the Hallownest vessels that want to visit the Abyss to see their siblings HAVE to be around Ghost, otherwise the sea will call them back and they will follow.
> 
> . White Lady does NOT fuck with Grimm at all. Grimm didn't do anything to her, she just doesn't like him aljdajlkjalk.
> 
> . Higher Beings are known for giving their partners the most adorable and embarrassing terms of endearment nicknames ever. They can't help it.
> 
> . PK over text: "Can you get rid of my Pure Vessel's nightmares k thx bai." / NKG texting back: "You owe me McNightmare Nuggets for this."
> 
> . Broken Vessel lived with Oro for a while before they died in game. When they got revived the first thing they did was go see Oro again.
> 
> . Broken talks similar to Quirrel, but personality wise they're more chaotic.
> 
> . I know Grimm/Hollow isn't everyone's cup of tea and I'm sorry if you didn't like reading it. Personally, I really like the ship. I wish there were more fluff for it.
> 
> . The only punishment in the Void Siblings household is the dreaded No-Cussing-Forever rule. (Which never lasts forever.)
> 
> . Hollow can say "Fuck" as a treat.
> 
> . Being THK is suffering. But their family is always there to support them.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading! :)


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